Toronto mayor had private dinner with controversial promoter

Torontos new mayor Rob Ford has been under fire of late for keeping a low profile refusing to grant media interviews or answer questions from reporters.

But he did find time in his first two months of office to grant a meeting with a controversial entertainment promoter and contributor to his election campaign Johnathan Vrozos.

Ford had dinner Friday, Feb. 4 (just two months after taking office), with Vrozos, according to the mayors daytimer released to the public through a Freedom of Information request.

"During the municipal election, the campaign held a golf tournament and a prize at the event was dinner with Coun. Ford, now of course, Mayor Ford," Fords press secretary Adrienne Batra told CBC News in an email. "The dinner was simply fulfilling that commitment."

Asked later by telephone to elaborate on how much Vrozos paid for the dinner honour and whether the new mayor does any background screening of dinner guests, Batra responded curtly, "We have nothing further to add."

While never charged, Vrozos is an entertainment promoter who has wound up at the centre of a number of high profile police investigations, and was even found to be a fraudster by two Ontario courts.

Ontarios Court of Appeal ruled last December that Vrozos defrauded the Wahta bottled water company out of hundreds of thousands of dollars during the Toronto SARS Relief concert featuring the Rolling Stones back in 2003.

In itsruling, the court ordered him to pay back $800,000 over "numerous instances in which Vrozos took and kept money that belonged to Wahta" citing Vrozos for "two especially egregious examples" including driving off with a car trunk laden with close to half a million dollars in coins, and his failure to fulfil a deal on bottled water distribution at the SARS concert.

Vrozos also used to co-own Torontos Peel Pub and was targeted in 2003 as part of Project Ora, an RCMP probe into organized crime in downtown night clubs.Vrozos was never charged.But he met with an undercover police officer who was posing as a money-launderer and helped refer the officer to now-disgraced Bay Street lawyer Peter Shoniker who was charged, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

In the same 2003 Project Ora investigation, Vrozos was caught on wiretaps discussing payoffsto police officers.The Crown alleged that Vrozos paid thousands of dollars in illegal payments to Toronto police officer Billy McCormack in exchange for the promise of police help fixing liquor licence issues.

Vrozos was never charged. McCormack was charged, but his case was eventually dismissed in August 2010 due to delays getting to trial.

CBC News asked Fords office to elaborate on how long hed knownVrozos, as well as whether the mayor was aware of Vrozos background, but the mayor's press aide refused to answer any further questions.

CBC News also contacted Vrozos's lawyer, Gary Caplan, who replied, "I have spoken to my client and he instructs me to advise you that he does not wish to respond to your inquiries."

A number of media organizations have complained about Fords refusal to grant interviews. The Toronto City Hall Press Gallery has even filed a written complaint with the mayor's office claiming 'abuse of process' over the snubbing of certain media organizations. To date, Fords office has not responded.